Aspen Institute Interviews Grayce Liu on Civic Engagement

EmpowerLA’s Grayce Liu recently did a Q&A with the Aspen Institute’s Center for Urban Innovation about the importance of civic engagement. She spoke about the role Neighborhood Councils have played in increasing civic engagement in LA, and discussed how this interactive, inclusive concept differs from the way that government has traditionally interacted with stakeholders.

Civic engagement, says Grayce, is not a one-and-done deal, or about offering a minute or two of time for public comment. Instead, she says, “It really is about creating an ongoing dialogue between government and constituents. It’s about creating buy-in because a lot of times government is very top down and just does what it wants to do.”